Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai profile picture

Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai

why not chaos? http://www.yellowgurl.com

About Me


short.loud.quiet.thoughtful.hyper.sleepy.lovable.words.
http://www.yellowgurl.com
for booking info, hit up [email protected]
for press inquiries, hit up [email protected]
for 2007-2008 downloadable pdf press kit, click here
KELLY ZEN-YIE TSAI is a Chinese Taiwanese American full-time spoken word artist, essayist, playwright, and choreographer who has been featured at over 250 performances worldwide including venues like the Nuyorican Poets Café, the House of Blues, the Apollo Theater in Harlem, and 3 seasons of the award-winning “Russell Simmons Presents HBO Def Poetry.” Originally from Chicago, now based in Brooklyn, Kelly tours the country extensively as a solo spoken word artist and previously toured with both We Got Issues! and Mango Tribe. She has been published in numerous journals and anthologies including WE DON'T NEED ANOTHER WAVE: Dispatches from the Next Wave of Feminists (Seal/Avalon), We Got Issues!: A Young Woman's Guide to a Bold, Empowered, and Courageous Life (Inner Ocean Publishing), and The Spoken Word Revolution Redux (Sourcebooks, Inc.). Her spoken word video, "By-Standing: The Beginning of an American Lifetime," directed by Karen Lin (ZuZu Films) is currently being screened at film festivals and venues across the US and Europe. She also recently attended the World Social Forum in Nairobi, Kenya as a part of a delegation sent by the Hip Hop Theater Festival. In addition to her touring schedule, current projects include her recently released debut album "Infinity Breaks," her solo show "The Grieving Room," and her first full-length book of poems.
for more detailed biographical info, go to http://www.yellowgurl.com

My Interests

well...isn't everything interesting? i'm a spoken word artist. full-time. i mean it. no, really, i'm not joking...oh, never mind.

I'd like to meet:

people with passion, sarcasm, and a love for ice cream!
Def Poetry 4! "Little Red Books"

Def Poetry 5! "Aftershocks"

"By-Standing: The Beginning of An American Lifetime" Dir. by Karen Lin

"Weapons of Mass Creation" Dir. by Kamilah Forbes
Live at The Loft in Minneapolis, MN! "Fencing"

Live at the Hot House, Chicago, IL! "Grey Matter"

Live at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, New York, NY! "Making Guacamole"

Live at the Art House, Jersey City, NJ! "Lili's Hands"

YELLOWGURL STORE

CD: Infinity Breaks (2006), 12 tracks with beats by Black Cracker AKA Celena Glenn, $15 includes S & H

Ol' Skool Chapbook: Thought Crimes (2005), 2nd Edition, 12 Poems, $7 Includes S & H

Ol' Skool Chapbook: Inside Outside Outside Inside (2001-2004), 3rd Edition, 12 Poems, $7 Includes S & H

Music:

me'shell ndegeocello, ursula rucker, x-ecutioners, common, kanye, raphael saadiq, jean grae...

Movies:

happy gilmore, the last dragon, coming to america, babe, run lola run, raise the red lantern, the dark crystal, do the right thing, spring summer fall winter and then spring again (is that what that movie is called?), ong-bak: the thai warrior, city of god, hate, annie hall, the princess bride, love and basketball, tupac resurrection, the wedding banquet, juice, thelma and louise, carrie

Television:

project runway. sex and the city. law and order. lost. charmed. chapelle's show.

Books:

push by sapphire, interpreter of maladies by jhumpa lahiri, parable of the sower by octavia butler, her blue body everything we know by alice walker, rainbow of desire by augusto boal, white teeth by zadie smith, breath eyes memory by edwidge danticat, the robber bride by margaret atwood, a single square picture by katy robinson, slaughterhouse five by kurt vonnegut, dogeaters by jessica hagedorn, luis j. rodiguez, ai, major jackson

Heroes:

grace lee boggs, yuri kochiyama, jessica hagedorn, sonia sanchez, nikki giovanni.

My Blog

(yellowgurl blog) wright or wrong.

what up world&man, i've been thinking about starting this blog about five different times since my last blog on all totally different topics, so needless to say, a lot of life goin' on.reading erich f...
Posted by Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai on Wed, 30 Apr 2008 11:29:00 PST

(yellowgurl blog) the esteem of your muthafuckin self

my newest obsession, katt williams...talking about the esteem of your muthafuckin' self: and just for the record -- not that we need more of the n-word or the b-word out there in the world, ...
Posted by Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai on Wed, 16 Apr 2008 09:56:00 PST

(yellowgurl blog) your body is a castle.

what’s up world? let’s see lots ’n lots ’n lots since last blog...went to the wonderful world of pittsburgh, pa where i had the exquisite opportunity to perform for the new vo...
Posted by Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai on Fri, 28 Mar 2008 11:04:00 PST

(yellowgurl blog) my eyes are greeen...

what up world? quickly quickly slowly slowly thoughtfully thoughtfully. body moving. and the heart?always, the heart.just came back from bob holman's "he's not 60" birthday party which was dope and hu...
Posted by Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai on Tue, 11 Mar 2008 09:35:00 PST

(yellowgurl blog) two.two.eight.

what's up world  just chillin' at home today&feelin' a little bit sickly about to head out to richmond, va tomorrow morning&sewing a button onto my jacket while listening to nas, which made me laugh&...
Posted by Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai on Fri, 29 Feb 2008 07:12:00 PST

(yellowgurl blog) hope lives

what's up world? happy new year east and west. chillin' in the chi&metronome of the body slowed to the melting snow. knowing now what it means to embrace both homes (chicago and brooklyn). all cult...
Posted by Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai on Mon, 18 Feb 2008 08:36:00 PST

(yellowgurl blog) maniacal snow-ball making

what's up world? chillin' here with my girl jeanine in washington d.c. before the show over at the red lounge. woke up to a world of snowy tundra and maniacal snow-ball making&feeling sort of festive ...
Posted by Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai on Wed, 05 Dec 2007 02:07:00 PST

(yellowgurl blog) la poesie ou mort, worldwide culture unlimited

hey kitty kats  totally totally sleep-deprived in berlin as i hear the strands of guitar from the other room and have about 20 minutes before jetting off for the beatstreet berlin event which should ...
Posted by Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai on Mon, 26 Nov 2007 09:14:00 PST

ATTN: POETRY IN MOTION, HOLY FAMILY & ROUNDHOUSE POETS HELP!

Hello all! Thanks so so much for being wonderful workshop groups in the case of Holy Family and Roundhouse and audience in the case of Poetry in Motion :) Sadly, about two pages of my mailing list si...
Posted by Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai on Mon, 26 Nov 2007 08:06:00 PST

(yellowgurl blog) isnt it romantical?

ay-o! aight writing live and direct from paris, france in the thick of the transit worker strike. there are some cities you fall in love with in an instant, and for me, paris is one of them. spent th...
Posted by Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai on Tue, 20 Nov 2007 04:29:00 PST